The Christmas Steps is a short, steep, pedestrianised lane in central Bristol lined with independent shops, and despite the name it has nothing to do with the holiday. It's free to wander any time and worth 20 minutes even if you're not buying anything.
Where it is and why it's called that
The Christmas Steps runs between Colston Street and the top of the hill near St Michael's Hill, a couple of minutes' walk from the top of Park Street and close to Cabot Tower and Brandon Hill. The steps themselves were built in 1669, paid for by a wealthy wine merchant named Jonathan Blackwell, replacing a steep, muddy lane that had led up to St Michael's Church for centuries before that.
The name is a coincidence rather than a festive reference. Over the years the lane went by several names, including Steep Street, Queene Street and Knifesmith Street (after the knife-makers who worked there), and that last name is thought to have gradually corrupted into "Christmas Street" and then "Christmas Steps" by the time of the first Ordnance Survey maps in the late 19th century. One of its other historic names, Lunsford's Stairs, came from Colonel Henry Lunsford, a Cavalier officer said to have been shot on the steps during the Storming of Bristol in the English Civil War.
At the top of the steps stands the John Foster Almshouse and the chapel of the Three Kings of Cologne, built in 1483, making it older than the steps themselves. Before the steps were cut, the River Frome ran close to the bottom of the hill, and until the 17th century barrels of goods were rolled down to be loaded onto ships waiting at the quayside below.
What's there today
The steps and the surrounding streets, known together as the Christmas Steps Arts Quarter, support more than 50 independent businesses across Perry Road, Lower Park Row, Colston Street, St Michael's Hill and Upper Maudlin Street as well as the steps themselves. On the steps you'll find:
- The Christmas Steps pub, a traditional boozer in a building dating back to the 16th century, serving real ale and pub food.
- 20th Century Flicks, a DVD and VHS rental shop that's also home to two of the smallest cinemas in the city.
- Chance & Counters, a board game cafe, alongside independent galleries, a bridal shop, a magazine shop and craft and jewellery makers.
It's a genuinely walkable, browsable street rather than a single attraction, so it works well as a stop on the way between the harbourside and Clifton, or paired with the best walks near Bristol guide if you're doing a longer loop through the city centre. Traders here have varied over the centuries, from clockmakers and dress designers to shoemakers and, for most of the 20th century, a fish and chip shop that was one of the earliest in the country before it closed in 2019.
When to go
The street is open to wander at any time since it's a public pedestrianised lane, but the shops keep their own hours, so a weekday late morning or early afternoon is the safest bet if you want them open. The quarter also hosts a monthly artisan market on the first Saturday of the month, and festive evening markets in late November with stalls and live music, on top of the general run of independent trading.
How it compares to Bristol's other quirky streets
| Street | Vibe | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| The Christmas Steps | Historic, steep, arts and crafts | Independent shops and a bit of odd history |
| Stokes Croft | Bold street art and counterculture | Bristol's most photographed murals |
| Gloucester Road | Long stretch of independent traders | A proper afternoon of browsing |
For more of Bristol's street art and independent scene, see our Bristol street art guide, and our things to do hub for the wider city.
Getting there
There's no parking on the steps themselves since it's fully pedestrianised. The nearest options are the city centre car parks around Park Street and the harbourside; see our Bristol parking guide for the honest picture on rates and availability. It's an easy walk from Bristol Temple Meads or the bus routes that run along Park Row and Upper Maudlin Street.